Growing commercial vehicle distributor RH Commercial Vehicles outlines its recent expansion and how its parts management system maximises its efficiency.
RHCV has been selling, leasing, servicing, and repairing heavy (HGV) and light commercial (LCV) vehicles across the East Midlands for four decades. The company employs 140 staff across its five sites in the East Midlands – in Nottingham, Cossington (Leicestershire), Northampton, Alfreton (Derbyshire) and Newark (Nottinghamshire).
Formed in 1977, RHCV has been a Renault Trucks dealer since 1986 and is an authorised selling agent for Renault Trucks and provides new and used sales, servicing, and parts for the full Renault Trucks range, as well as all-makes parts and servicing for commercial vehicles. It offers a full range of sales and aftermarket services including parts, sales, dedicated paint shop, and designated MOT bays. RHCV is a dealer for Renault Trucks as well as working with Isuzu at selected sites.
The company added to its East Midlands sites in May with a new site including an 8,000ft2 workshop. Located near Newark, the new RHCV site is constructed to a very high standard and is part of a three-acre site close to the A1, A17, and A46 road network in north-eastern Nottinghamshire. The workshop space can fit up to nine trucks in three bays. The site also offers brake roller testing.
The new location was carefully chosen as it provides an excellent service point for vehicles travelling north to south, or vice versa, down the main A1.
Parts offering
Parts is an important part of RHCV’s service offer, with the company stocking over half a million pounds worth of parts. The new Newark workshop is fully equipped with the latest parts management systems including a ‘vertical storage R-Mag carousel’ like those at RHCV’s Nottingham site.
RHCV’s state-of-the-art facility has invested in this vertical storage carousel which is a compact storage and retrieval unit which has of a continuous series of shelves, known as carriers, that are used to store products. This means parts are stored carefully, maximising space, and can be accessed quickly and efficiently. Once activated, the machine rotates and the selected product is presented, via the quickest route, to a suitably positioned workstation.
RHCV’s aftersales service includes counter sales and delivery of genuine parts and support for Renault Trucks’ 24/7 roadside assistance service for the area.
James Daykin, Group Aftermarket Manager for RHCV, comments: “Using the latest automated storage and retrieval systems, including these vertical storage carousels, means we can be fast and efficient in supporting the workshop team.
“It also is a much easier way for the parts advisors to access items quickly without too much climbing, reaching, and twisting.”
RHCV has invested in automated storage systems to produce a more efficient workflow – increasing safety and productivity.
James adds: “Our job is to ensure we turn around vehicles in the workshops quickly and efficiently, minimising customer downtime.”
As part of further workshop investments, RHCV also recently refurbished its Nottingham bodyshop, adding a facility to prepare vehicles before they are moved into the spray booth for painting – a process which was previously outsourced.
The improved facility will offer full repainting of truck cabs and chassis, along with body repairs for minor accident damage to trucks and LCVs. Previously, major accident work would take place off site.
RHCV has recently hired a further member of staff as part of the bodyshop team: Craig Pearce, who previously worked at Silverstone painting Formula 1 cars.
